J 

12™ 
#33 
c.  / 


D03209672T 


:uu 


[House  Bill,  No.  7.] 

HOUSE,  September  27,  1862. — Read  first  and  second  times,  made 
special  order  for  Monday,  and  continuing  until  disposed  of,  and  or- 
dered to  be  printed. 

[By  Mr.  Miles,  from  Military  Committee.] 


.A.  BILL 

To  be  entitled  An  Act  to  purge  the  Army  of  ignorant   and 
and  incompetent  officers. 

1  Whereas,  The  efficiency  of  our  army  and  the  health 

2  and  comfort  of  our  soldiers  in  the  field  depend  upon  the 

3  skill,  competence,  and  attention  to  duty  of  the  officer   is 

4  the  service  ;  and  whereas,  it  is  well  known  that  many  of 

5  the  officers  of  the  army  are  ignorant  of  their  duties,  in- 

6  efficient  in  their  discharge,   and  utterly  careless  of  the 

7  health  and  comfort  of  their  men  :  Therefore, 

1  The  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America 

2  enact,  That  whenever,  m  the  judgment  of  the  General 

3  commanding  a  department,  the  good  of  the  service  and 

4  the  efficiency  of  his  command  require  it,  he  is  authorized 


2 

5  and  it  is  hereby  made  his  duty,  to  appoint  an  Examining 

6  Board,  to  be  composed  of  officers  of  a  rank  at  least  as 

7  high  as  that  of  the  officers  whose  qualifications  it  is  pro- 

8  posed  to  inquire  into,  which  Board  shall  immediately 

9  proceed  to  examine  into  the  cases  of  such  officers  as  may 

10  be  brought  to  their  attention,  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 

11  mining  their  qualifications  for  the  discharge  of  the  duties 

12  properly  appertaining  to  their  several  positions. 

1  Sec.  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  whenever  such  Ex- 

2  amining  Board  shall  determine  that  any  officer  is  clearly 

3  unfit  to  perform  his  legitimate  and  proper  duties,  or  care- 

4  less  and    inattentive    in    their    discharge,  then  the  said 

5  Board  shall  communicate  their  decision,  together  with  a 

6  full  report  of  their  proceedings  in  the  case,  to  the  Gen- 

7  eral  commanding  the  department  in  which  the  examina- 

8  tion  shall  have  been  held,  who  shall,  if  he   approve  the 

9  finding  of  the  Board,  be  authorized  to  suspend  the  officer 

10  who  has  been  pronounced  unfit  for  his  position,  and  shall 

11  immediately  transmit  to  the  Secretary   of  War,  the  de- 

12  cision  and  proceedings  of  the  Examining  Board,  with  its 

13  own  action  and  opinion  endorsed  thereon. 

1  Sec.  3.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That   the   Secretary  of 


3     * 

2  War.  if  he  approve   the    finding    of  the    Board    and  the 

3  action  of  the  General  commanding  the  departmenVshall 

4  lay  the  same  before  the   President,  who  is  authorized  to 

5  retire  .honorably  or   to  drop    from  the  army,  as  the  cir- 

6  cumstances-.  of  the  case  may  wan-ant,  and  the  good  of 

7  the  service  require,  the  officer  who  has  been  found  unfit 

8  for  his  position. 

1  Sec.  4.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  order  to  .secure 

2  reliable  information  of  the  efficiency  and  competence  of 

3  officers,  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  each  officer  com- 

4  manding  a  regiment,  separate  batallion,  company,  bat- 

5  tery,  or  squadron,  to  make  to  his  immediate  command- 

6  ing  officer,  whp  shall  transmit  the  same  to  the  Brigadier- 

7  General  commanding,  a  monthly  report,  in  tabular  form, 

8  containing  a  list  of   all  commissioned  officers    of  such 

9  regiment,    separate    battallion,    company,    battery,    or 

10  squadron,  in  which  shall  be  stated  the  number  of  days 

11  each  officer  has  been  absent  from  his  command,  with  or 

12  without,  or    on  sick  leave  ;  the  number    of   times   each 

13  officer  has  been  observed  to  have  been  absent  from  his 

14  command  when  on  march  or  in  action  ;  when  and  where 

15  each  officer  has  been  observed  to  have  performed  signal 


16  acts  of  service ;  when   and  where   negligent  in  the  per- 

17  formal  ice  of  duty,   and  inattentive  to  the  security  and 

18  economy  of  public  property. 


Hollinger  Corp. 
PH8.5 


